Munich 2019

Germany

March 22, 2019

We were so sad to leave the AmaLea this morning. We had our last breakfast and Mimosa before heading to Munich. We were all exhausted from such a fun week.

A bunch of us took the train from Vilshofen to Munich, an easy 2 hour train ride. Should be fun with all of us.

We were happy to be traveling first class so we could relax and spread out….

Well we were wrong! The first class car wasn’t big enough for all of us and with all of our stuff it was crowded. It looked more like a paddy wagon!

But we had a fun time

We made it to the Hauptbahnhof in Munich and it was a beautiful day.

Our hotel was right in the Altstadt which makes it very convenient to get to all the major sights in Munich. I was so happy to have the bed made like I have at home, very comfy!

Instead of Goldbaren-Gummy Bears they had Schlaf Schäfchen-Sleep Sheep! So cute 🐑

There was a beer festival today and lots of fun events going on. These guys came in with the beer wagons pulled by huge horses!

The Viktualienmarkt is a great place for something to eat, markets for meat, vegetables, flowers, crafts and beer. There is a great outdoor Biergarten that is always busy.

The Marienplatz is the center of old town Munich and has the famous Glockenspiel in the tower of the Rathaus behind me.

The hand-painted blown egg ornaments are my favorite. I bought so many in Salzburg many years ago and they are on the tree every year. I wanted to buy more but wouldn’t be able to carry them.

Outdoor Biergarten in the Viktualienmarkt

The meat options in the Viktualienmarkt are amazing, lots of pork and lots of sausages. Reminds me of when we used to come here on Sunday mornings to get everything we need to make the usual hangover weekend brunch-Weisswurst with sweet mustard, a big pretzel and a big Hefeweizen beer!

Viktualienmarkts colorful and beautiful markets

The maypole in the middle of the Viktualienmarkt

The top of the Rathaus looking at the Frauenkirche, the symbol of Munich.

The Frauenkirche

Looking down at the Marienplatz

Inside the Frauenkirche

The Glockenspiel behind me

The Glockenspiel is world famous since 1908, the figurines twirl a few times a day and represent stories from Munich’s history.

We went to Steindl Trachtem to look at traditional dirndls. We had soooooo much fun trying all the different styles, colors and options.

I ended up with a beautiful light blue dirndl!

Ready for a night out in Munich!

Headed to the beer halls

Prost!!! From the Hofbrauhaus 🍺🥨

Traditional Weisswurst dinner

Lots of fun and oompah music

Lots of laughs at our table

Gute nacht München, ’til next time!

See more pics of the ship on my Facebook Album AMA Waterways Danube River Cruise:  http://tinyurl.com/yygz24fp

Vilshofen, Germany

March 21, 2019

Vilshofen, Germany

We left Passau in the early afternoon and made our way to Vilshofen. We have an afternoon and evening of partying so I needed to get a bunch of work done today. It was so peaceful in the lounge on a couch with my laptop watching the beautiful scenery go by.

When we arrived in Vilshofen there was a tent set up right outside of our ship. We had a cocktail party in the lounge first and then headed straight to the beer tent.

It was a small Oktoberfest! They had beer, pretzels, Oompah music and so much fun.

Everyone dressed for the occasion!

The music was great and many of us were dancing, or at least tried to dance to the music!

Oktoberfest led right to dinner.

Tonight’s Menu

Another delicious dinner!

See more pics of the ship on my Facebook Album AMA Waterways Danube River Cruise:  http://tinyurl.com/yygz24fp

Passau, Germany

March 21, 2019

Passau, Germany

Such a pretty little town I woke up to this morning. There was a swan there to greet me right in front of my balcony. Passau is on the Austrian border at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers which is why it is known as the Three Rivers City. There is also a 13th-century fortress overlooking the city.

Morning stroll along the river

The fortress overlooks the town

Passau is susceptible to floods due to the three rivers around it

I love the pastel colors of the buildings.

Such a beautiful church and all the art. In Passau they give directions by which church bell tower you pass since there are so many.

View from the Fortress above the town.

Feels good to be back home

The sundeck is an amazing place to relax and watch the world go by! Too bad we only had a few days to enjoy it. While the weather was nice, it is spring and some days were too chilly. The few days when it hit 60 was perfect to enjoy the deck, it’s so comfortable.

Above are the officers on the AMALea in March 2019.

See more pics of the ship on my Facebook Album AMA Waterways Danube River Cruise:  http://tinyurl.com/yygz24fp

Munich 1994

Summer 1994

We visited Munich as a group from our University studies. It was a great break from school and a fun time with all of us together.

Reichenau

Summer 1994

I absolutely adore Reichenau! It is a short walk from Constance along the river that flows into the lake. It is an island in the river and connected to the mainland by a causeway. It is called the Blumeninsel or flower island because of the beautiful flowers all over the island, it is so colorful and gorgeous! It is famous for it’s Benedictine Abbey from the 8th century and the island is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Meersburg

Summer 1994

Meersburg is located a short boat ride across Lake Constance from Constance. The town is built on a steep vineyard right by the lake, has been a tourist attraction since the medieval times due to it’s castle, many museums and how beautiful it is.

Constance

Summer 1994

I studied German Literature at the Universitat Konstanz in 1994. It is a bustling University town right on Lake Constance or better known as the Bodensee. The lake shares the shore with Germany, Austria and Switzerland and a fabulous backdrop of the alps. Constance is one of the only big cities in Germany that was not destroyed in WWII because it is actually on the Swiss side of the river so it was too close to take a chance of bombing it.